Private school pupils 'four times as likely' to get straight As at A-level

The gap between independent and state schools has widened over the last decade with privately-educated teenagers almost four times as likely to gain straight As at A-level, new figures show.

By Graeme Paton, Education Editor

7:00AM GMT 09 Mar 2009

More pupils from fee-paying schools were awarded a string of top grades last summer than from all state comprehensives put together - even though only a fraction of the exams are sat in the independent sector, it emerged.

They are also much more likely to study rigorous subjects such as languages and science.

It puts private school pupils at a huge advantage when applying for Britain's elite universities which increasingly fail to consider candidates unless they score at least three As.

The disclosure - in a Conservative analysis of 2008 GCSE and A-level results - comes just days after Cambridge University admitted many state school students were missing out on places because their grades were not good enough

The university said students from comprehensives and poor homes would never claim a bigger share of places "unless their exam performance improves".

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In a speech today, Michael Gove, the shadow schools secretary, will criticise the "widening gap between opportunities for richer families and the rest".

According to figures for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 10,156 pupils from independent schools gained three As last summer, compared to 7,484 from comprehensives and 4,254 from state grammars.

It comes despite the fact that those educated in the private sector make up only one-in-14 students nationally.

In 1998, 16.9 per cent of fee-paying pupils sitting A-levels gained three or more As, against 4.7 per cent in comprehensives - a gap of 12.2 percentage points.

But by last year the gap had widened significantly.

Some 30.3 per cent of sixth-formers in the independent sector achieved the feat in 2008 compared to 7.6 per cent in comprehensives - a gulf of 22.7 points.

The Tories also claim that pupils from the very poorest homes are struggling.

Nearly half of children eligible for free meals at school failed to achieve a single C grade in GCSEs last summer - the minimum standard demanded from employers.

It comes despite claims from independent schools that GCSEs have been devalued in recent years, prompting many to adopt tougher exams.

Last week, it was revealed fee-paying Manchester Grammar School was becoming the first in the country to drop GCSEs completely in favour of the alternative International GCSE.

The tests are currently banned in state schools because they are not accredited by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

In a speech to the Barnardo's children's charity today, Mr Gove will say the flight from academic rigour in state schools has turned many pupils off education altogether.

"The Government has devalued exams so much that independent schools are abandoning the GCSE for higher quality exams but the Government will not let state schools do these exams," he will say.

"We will reverse the devaluation of exams. We will make it easier to set up new academies especially in poorer areas and make it easier for them to hire great teachers and we will make it easier for talented people to become teachers."

A DCSF spokesman said: "Our policies are working and the gap between rich and poor is closing. Whatever the critics will bleat, the long-term trend is one of sustained improvement. The benchmark requires schools to get over 30 per cent of their pupils through five higher level GCSE passes, including English and maths. A decade ago half of all secondary schools were below this benchmark, this is now under one-in-five."